TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Nasty GUACamole - NGUAC 2024 Knockout Round]

Very bold choice to have all those jazzy chords at the beginning. The rolled chords are especially nice, but the 2nd and 5th ones sound a bit clunky. Some wider spacing of the notes might help solve that. I like the busier texture at :14, but the mix sounds really distorted there. Sounds like the piano is causing some of the other instruments to duck under. I would try to separate out the frequency ranges of the different instruments a bit more with an equalizer. Also, make sure the harmonic instruments (i.e., everything besides the bass and the kick) don’t have any frequencies below 200 Hz or so. A lot of low frequencies in the texture can muddy it up really fast.

Anyway, I like the build-up into :32 and the frantic piano riffs at :33. The rhythmic content there is really catchy, and the slap bass at 1:01 was a fun surprise. The return of the piano at 1:30 in a higher register was also a nice touch. There’s a bit of dissonance in the texture at 1:43, which is not necessarily a bad thing, but it was also hard to make it out because it sounds very faint and distorted in the mix. The high-octane synth and piano content in this piece is really awesome, though, and you’ve covered a lot of ground harmonically as well.

Overall, the composition of this piece is creative, catchy, and has a great narrative appeal too. The production could be a lot cleaner, although the sound design, transitions, and rhythmic content are also really good.

Mixing, mastering, and balance
.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.5/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.75/2
Instrumentation and sound design
1/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
7.75/10

NotLeLee responds:

I just knew I would get deducted points for soundtrap automix
welp

edit: I just realised how high score I got for everything but mixing. Wow. Soundtrap really funked me up >:(

[Recheck [NGUAC '24 KO]]

I like the ominous atmosphere and grouchy bass at the beginning. The bass is a little loud relative to the drums, but the rhythmic content and huge jumps in the bass line’s contour are really creative and fun. The mix is a bit distorted at times - especially at :55, you can tell some of the pads and atmospheric details are ducking under when other instruments play a note. The piece also peters out in energy a bit as it goes on, and with the constant frantic beats, an atmospheric or melodic breakdown at some point might’ve made for some good variety. That said, I really like the sound design, mood, and catchy beats here. Keep at it, Kz-N! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.25/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.5/2
Instrumentation and sound design
1/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
7.5/10

Kz-N responds:

thanks a lot!!!!

[3_0_3 - BREACHING]

I like the distorted synths at the beginning and the gradual build-up into :22. The chord progression is a bit cliche, and the mix is a bit distorted. By :33, the melodies and pads are seriously distorting the mid-range bass and drums. I would double-check to make sure that the harmonic instruments (other than the bass) don’t have any frequencies below 200 Hz or so in the EQ. That said, the breakdown at 1:05 was a nice change-of-pace, and I love the filtering work on the bass (like the build-up into 1:16 and other places). The soaring melodic solo at 1:34 is great, too, although much of the rest of the piece is a bit too minimal and could use some more harmonic variety. The filtering and other compositional details help keep things interesting, but some more variation on some of the core riffs and melodies later on could really help take this piece to the next level. Still, overall this is a really catchy and fun track. The distorted, unwieldy mix is my main concern. Otherwise, the sound design, melodies, and foreboding mood are great. Keep at it, Joecoustic! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.25/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.75/2
Instrumentation and sound design
1/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
8/10

Joecoustic responds:

Thanks for the feedback, I had a lot of fun partecipating in this contest and I wish good luck to everyone in the finals ^^

[Autumn Girl]

I like the mellow guitar at the beginning. The kick is very heavy for a piece with such a tranquil mood at first. I like the high-energy section at :37, and how you intersperse the rhythmic and melodic elements there. The change in the meter at 1:00 is a bit clumsy - some of the drum patterns there might need to be re-recorded - and the transition at 1:10 is pretty abrupt. I like how you slow down slightly at 1:41, though - it was a nice, subtle way of foreshadowing the breakdown at 1:44. Overall, the frantic guitar riffs and sound design here are really enjoyable, and the mixing is solid, but the arrangement feels a bit disjointed, and lacks a strong sense of overarching direction. Some smoother, more gradual transitions might help in that regard, and also more distinction between the high-energy sections. Still, this piece has some killer rhythmic content and a great, engrossing mood. Keep at it, itskosama! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.75/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.75/2
Instrumentation and sound design
1/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
8.25/10

itskosama responds:

Thank you! It was a blast participating in this!

I'll definitely practice on those transitions! I also really enjoyed time constraint of the event! It was really good on getting me going to make something! Super grateful to everyone! 

[Keep Them Coming! (NGUAC Knockout Round)]

I like the ghostly synth riff at the beginning and the Old West-inspired harmonic content. The melodies are killer here, although at times the mix is a bit muddy in the lower frequency range. It’s often hard to make out the contour of the bass line, and at around :50 the cute synth arpeggios in the background are also a little buried. The bridge at 1:07 where you strip the beat away was a nice change-of-pace, and you transition smoothly back into the busier texture at 1:38. The second half of the piece seems like nearly a straight copy-paste of the first to me, which leaves some room for some more variety in the melodic contour and phrasing. That said, the loop is very smooth, including at the end, and there’s a lot of fun phrasing and ebb-and-flow within the 98-second loop itself, so it doesn’t bother me too much. One thing that really impresses me about this piece is how much you rely on what I call “melodic transitions,” where you’re using an entire harmonic phrase to smooth over a major transitory moment (example: 1:24 to 1:38) instead of just a sweep, riser, drum fill, reverse crash, or other cliched sound in electronic music. Melodic transitions are a very advanced composition skill to have, my friend, and you absolutely nailed the ones in here. Overall, I like this piece a lot. It has some top-tier sound design and composition. Keep at it, Interloping! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.25/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
2/2
Instrumentation and sound design
1/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.5/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
9.25/10

Interloping responds:

I think one of my favorite parts of participating in these events is seeing how you break down my work and let me know what I'm doing right and wrong, I'm glad that you picked up on the amount of effort that I have put into my melodic transitions, as most of my time and effort, if not put into the drums and diversifying them, is how my scales flow with each other in such a way that matches the overall tone of the piece. I really wish I could convey the sounds that I hear in my head onto FL studio in such a way that I could let the world hear them, but that will only come with time. I was worried about the volume of the baseline providing too much gain because it is specifically a slap bass sound font, and if it's too loud it almost sounds like a percussive instrument that drowns out the drums. That being said, I wasn't sure how to make it blend in such a way that it wouldn't just become noise. I'll try to keep this in mind for my next piece, should I actually contribute one, because I have no idea if I can pull something out of my ass that was nearly as great as this piece was :P

Maybe, just maybe, I will have another submission ready before the deadline. If not, just know how grateful I am not only for your open-hearted criticisms, honest opinions, and most importantly the opportunity to be front paged as a result, and showcase that I am absolutely capable of moving outside of my comfort zone and composing in the sound font that breaks the barriers of square wave.

Thank you so much for giving me an opportunity to prove myself in this community, and I look forward to next year when I have more knowledge of FL studio!

[-Before You Go- [HQ VER.]]

I like the upbeat mood at the beginning. The strings at :16 sound a bit inauthentic, but otherwise the sound design has a bright tone that fits the harmonic content. The texture starts to come together nicely by :30, and I like how the piece continues building up in intensity until the drop at 1:15. The harmonic content gets repetitive pretty quickly, but you did a good job of varying the instruments, and the mixing is solid as well. The breakdown at 1:46 has a nice emotional appeal, and I like the injection of energy at 1:59 as well. This piece is very smooth-flowing overall, with well-crafted transitions and a strong sense of direction throughout. I would’ve liked to see way more variety in the second half, though - secondary melodies, variations in the harmonic content, etc. The arrangement (including the key change at 3:15) and sound design are also pretty generic. Still, you’re clearly a talented producer with a good sense of progression and harmony, and this is a catchy and fun piece. Keep at it, DJDannyTV! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.75/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.75/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.25/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
7.5/10

ImSmoothie responds:

I really appreciate your comments!!
I am going to take all these things into consideration from now on :)
Thanks for accepting me in the elimination round!!!!
I'm already happy to have made it this far <3
Best of luck for everyone who made it to the finals!!

[~cC~ Hands Up, Alien Overlords!]

I like the blissful melodies and rhythmic content here. The pads at the very beginning sound a tad clunky, though - it might help to space out the notes a bit further apart, even if that just means moving some of them up an octave. The brass lead sounds pretty inauthentic, but in general the sound design is pretty cute. The re-intro at 1:00 was a nice change-of-pace, and I like the prominent bass line here. The organ solo at 1:16 totally rocked, and the phased synth at 1:46 actually made for a pretty cool transition into the meter change at 2:01. The tempo change at 2:20 was also a cool compositional detail. The production quality is pretty good here, too. I especially like the crisp drums and well-balanced frequencies throughout. The final refrain at 2:21 could use a bit more distinction/variety compared to the first two, if only to provide a stronger sense of overarching progression to the piece. The dragged-out final cadence at 2:35 was a bit over-the-top, but I appreciate the flair of it nonetheless. Overall, this piece has a lot of fun twists and turns that are integrated with smooth transitions - a really advanced compositional skill to have. I also like the mixing and (for the most part) the sound design. Keep up the good work, CelestialChaos! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.25/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
2/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.5/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
8/10

CelestialChaos responds:

Thank you so much for the review! I appreciate the kind words for the melodies and transitions, I improvised a lot of them and was really happy with how they turned out. I’m definitely less confident with sound design as well as mixing and mastering, so I’m glad I had the opportunity with NGUAC to try some things out and get some solid feedback!

Also, just to be a music nerd… at 2:01 it’s a subdivision change, not a mater change. It’s still in a 4/4 meter, but the triplet is used as the subdivision instead of the eighth note. Sorry, couldn’t resist! Thanks again for putting on a great competition, and I look forward to coming back again next year!

[desolation]

I like the portamentos at the beginning and the airy vocals. Love the rich atmosphere and prominent sub-bass here, and the reverb and delay effects are just luscious. The drums aren’t quite as far forward in the mix as I would’ve liked, and after a while the piece could use a stronger sense of progression. The brief bridge at 1:10 is a nice touch, and I like how you went in a different direction with the second half of this piece with the piano at 1:37 and a brighter, more upbeat tone. It comes together well by the end overall, but the outro at 2:23 could’ve been a tad more creative. The harmonic content could’ve been a little more well-varied and dynamic here. Still, you won me over with the atmosphere and sound design. Keep at it, cantbemyself! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.5/2
Instrumentation and sound design
1/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.5/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
8.25/10

cantbemyself responds:

Thank you so much for the detailed review! I'll try my best ;)

[WTF]

I like the cute, plucked synth riff at the beginning. The low-pitched effect that first appears at :18 sounds a bit cheesy, but I appreciate the creative rhythms of that section. The production is a tad over-compressed, but otherwise solid. I appreciate the more tonal section at :49, and I’m impressed you recorded all the vocals yourself. Interspersing the vocals with the glitchy breaks from earlier at 1:08 was a good idea, but the piece could still use some more harmonic depth and a more fleshed-out structure IMO. The descent into wet reverb hell at the end was a nice touch, though. Overall, I like the experimental texture of this, but elements of the sound design could use a bit more polish, and the compositional details needed a bit more variety. I applaud you for taking such a bold compositional approach, though - full credit on uniqueness for sure. Keep at it, Camelymusic! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.75/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.25/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.75/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
7.25/10

camelymusic responds:

thank you for the feedback!

["Glorious Morning" .remix_]

I think the hardstyle sound design actually fits the tune really well. The transitions at :54 and 1:20 are a bit sudden, and much of the piece is pretty minimal. The synth bass is a little too quiet in the mix relative to the lead and drums, but otherwise the production quality is solid. I feel like you could've added more onto the original and really made it your own - fleshing out the structure more and adding a countermelody might help. Still, you really captured the triumphant and upbeat feel of the original, and I like the instrumentation, especially the dreamy bells at :54. Keep it up, X-500! ^_^

X-500 responds:

you know, there was an idea to add something else here, but I could never fully achieve it. As for the bass in the mix, everything seems to me that it seemed normal on my part and this time I wanted everything to be in harmony, but in any case, thanks for noticing this and for this great review, TaintedLogic! =-)